How much is this anvil worth?

I'd look more closely at the odd fill on the arch of the right fore leg; see photos 1, 7, 9. Compared to the left fore leg in photo 10, seems there was a major break.

Bert

I've seen a pile of PW anvils over a few years.

That looks to me more like the guy running the hammer was not having a balanced kind of day when the base was welded together when this was made, not that it was broken and repaired.

That is a very nice looking anvil, and right in the size range that is very desirable, as it is massive, but still moveable.

I would be very surprised if it were not able to draw a price in excess of what a comparable, good quality cast steel anvil of the same weight is worth these days. Cast steel out of Europe has come down in the last few years, but they are still not"cheap" Lot's of guys like the idea that the anvil they are using has some history, thus the attraction to the old stuff.

Hard numbers, dunno what the market will bear in your area. At the auctions I go to, that could go from a hundred bucks to 3 or 4 hundred, depending on who wants it, but that has no bearing on reality.

Cheers Trevor Jones

Thanks for all of your responses. Which auctions do you go to Trevor, if I may ask? Estate sales and that sort of thing?.... Anybody else is welcome to tell me how much this is worth... I've actually arranged to buy this anvil for 800 dollars, plus 260 dollars for shipping. I wanted to come here to ask you guys how much it is worth, so I know if I'm being overcharged or not. Seems like I might be paying a couple of hundred more than it is worth. However, I don't live out in rural parts of America, where there might be estate sales of old homes, with anvils stored in barns. If I did, then I could get this type of anvil for less. I suppose that's the way things work. But pleas let me know if

800 is simply way too much, and then I might reconsider whether I want to follow through on this deal. And if any of you have a similar anvil for sale, or know of one, for less money, I'd be interested in taking that one instead, even if it is not as nice as this PW. I just need a structurally sound anvil, with some bounce to it. Does not have to have perfect edges. Thanks.

I go to a lot of farm auctions. Mostly old guys that are retiring or been buried. Typically, when I was living in Saskatchewan (1992-1999 time frame) a fair condition PW anvil from 100-150 or so pounds would bring a final bid from $60-$150 Canadian. I have seen similar anvils here in northrn Alberta selling for under $200 recently. They are less common than they were.

Have you priced new anvils? I would suggest having a good look at the prices of those, as you are effectively parting with well over a grand for this one. It's a lot more than I would pay, but so are the prices on a lot of things I otherwise do without.

Perfect edges on an anvil are overratted. A little swayback and a couple chips add character, and prove that the anvil had a history, even if it was of violence. :-)

Cheers Trevor Jones

Well, a buck a pound is a bargain, three bucks a pound is pricey. Anywhere in between is good. Looks like a good one from the fotos.

Charly

"Have you priced new anvils? I would suggest having a good look at the prices of those, as you are effectively parting with well over a grand for this one."

Yes. I wanted to go for a Peddinghaus, but of course they're out of production. So the next best thing would be to go with a good quality cast anvil. I'v got the impression that JHM's are good, so I was thinking of getting a JHM 260 pound, the "competitor" model. But waiting period seems to be a month when ordering one of those. So, I dunno. I'm just weighing my options.

Thats good to know - thanks charly. And thanks to anyone else who replied to my thread for their input.